


The Moon, Aflame

by TrashqueenofAngmar91



Series: Of Shadows and Tenderness [10]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: A “what if” scenario from my series, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dark fic, F/M, Mind Rape, Reader is a woman, Reader is of the race of Man, Sauron Being an Asshole, Soul Bond, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-13 05:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20169226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashqueenofAngmar91/pseuds/TrashqueenofAngmar91
Summary: It was the day you had anticipated and feared but very much expected. Nothing could protect you from the Eye.A “what if” scenario that takes place sometime during “The House of Angmar”.





	The Moon, Aflame

**Author's Note:**

> This ain't much, it's just a really random/morbid idea I had in mind. Makes me really wish this is part of "The House of Angmar's" canon. It probably would've made things more interesting but oh well. Better late than never I guess.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this addition!

The Moon, Aflame

There was no one else in the bedchamber. All was as silent as the grave save for the soft crackling and popping of the wood in the fireplace. Aside from that, there was nothing else. There was no explanation.

What you heard was a voice but yet it seemed to come from nowhere. There was no one else in your chambers. The Witch-king had been occupied for the past few hours, busy with meeting and plotting with some Easterling and Haradric generals who had come to Minas Morgul. There was a healthy chance it would last some time and you would've sensed him coming closer. But he wasn't there… Not only that, this one didn't quite sound like the Wraith lord.

There was no one else aside from the Orcs but the voice you heard didn't come from the throats of one of the creatures. Somehow, it sounded worse and even harsher than their tongues.

At first, you heard the voice. But as you strained to comprehend what was transpiring, you felt something. There was a presence…

The sensation was so oppressive, heavy and dreadful. It felt as if it was a great labor to even breathe. It felt as if it was steadily constricting the very life out of you. It seemed as if there was a fire in your flesh and you couldn't put it out even if it somehow was within your power.

"_I see you_."

When you first heard the voice, you couldn't make out what it said. Now, it was as clear as day as it repeated its words.

With him, he brought choking blackness and searing malevolence. Your heart ran like a fevered hare in your chest. The desire, the instinct to flee had screamed at you but you were powerless. You could not move, you could not think and it was challenging to even breathe. You were hopelessly ensnared and at the mercy of a being that didn't comprehend softer, gentler emotions.

He had arrived.

"_I deemed it has been long enough,_" the Dark Lord announced. "_I have let you and your husband enjoy your honeymooning and now it is past_."

Your hand shakily clamped around the bedpost. Heavily, you leaned against it, trying to maintain your strength and summon what courage you had before this titanic and vile threat. You were reluctant to give out so easily before this massive power but you knew you were only mortal and could do so much. You weren't sure if you'd even survive this in the end.

"_My, you are her spitting image_." His voice was somehow sickeningly sweet but the touch of villainy still remained ever present. "_He was not mistaken_."

"_What do you want of me?_" you pressed. "_What can I offer you, Lord of the Black Land? I am nothing, I have nothing of value to give you and I beg you to turn your Eye elsewhere._"

"_Do not be so humble and meek, Morgul lady. I have sought you out. I have espied you for some time and I sought to speak to you at long last._"

"_How can this be? How can I hear and feel you and yet I am not before the wheel of fire…_"

"_I am connected to each of my Nazgûl. You and the Witch-king have been connected and bonded by my own generosity and goodwill. Because I am connected to him and have established this bond, I am tethered to you in this way as well._"

Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped at this revelation. You had never felt so vulnerable and weak in your whole life. It never crossed your mind nor did you even entertain the possibility. You had assumed you would feel the Witch-king and no one else. Ignorance had blinded you and now you were floundering about internally in disbelief and terror.

"_Do not fear, dear maiden,_" he said in a mocking tone. "_You are in good company, are you not? Look at your beloved king; though he was destined to die over an age ago, I granted him immortality. He hasn't perished and he continues to thrive and I have gifted him a grander purpose. You chose wisely in accepting his hand in matrimony._"

You could scarcely believe the words he was speaking.

"_You didn't gift him anything!_" you argued, feeling your anger and disgust swell. "_You cursed and enslaved him!_"

"_I will be merciful to you once and only once, woman,_" he sneered fiercely. "_You are relatively new to my servitude so I will be gentle. Not only that, you are of the fairer sex and you are indeed frail and mortal… You must understand he made his choice and now he must accept its consequences. I gave him power, wealth and glory but then he had to repay me in the end of it all. It's a rather reasonable exchange if you ask me._"

How you wished to lash out at him. Though your fear of his might and power predominantly ruled you, your rage was becoming more prominent. He was more than aware he had twisted and ensnared the Men who became the Ringwraiths. You understood the process and what exactly it had done to them. The previous conversations you had with the one you wed provided you with everything you needed to know. In your eyes, you knew who the true enemy was.

"_You're quite loyal to him,_" Sauron further noted. "_Never could I have predicted that some Dúnedain maiden had fallen for the Witch-king!_"

He laughed haughtily and the grating sound echoed in your mind. Your jaw clenched and your fingers dug into the bedpost.

"_You have come here to taunt me and laugh at my circumstances_," you said. "_You delight in torturing your Wraiths without end and now you find it proper to extend the same courtesy to a lowly mortal. You are despicable. How the mighty have fallen._"

As soon as you finished speaking, the laughter abruptly ceased. A terrible, scalding pain pierced through you, causing you to release an anguished scream. Your grip on the bedpost was relinquished and you collapsed onto the bed. You rolled about in agony, clutching your body. Every limb, hair, bone, organ and flake of skin surged with unimaginable pain. It felt as if the hottest and cruelest flames were bathing you and eating you alive.

"_Mind your tongue,_" he said in a surprisingly even tone. "_I was indeed kind and gave you a fair warning. But you have betrayed and pushed my mercy. I only hope you learn well from this lesson._"

It was impossible to pay attention to anything he said. All you could focus on was the immense turmoil. Earlier, you beheld your chambers but now all you could see was the Eye of Sauron. It was brighter than the sun and the heat was so unbearable that you thought you were going to melt at any instant.

"_You must understand your place,_" Sauron resumed. "_You are indeed the lord of the Nazgûl's wife. Because he is my servant, by extension, you are mine as well. When you took his hand and your bond was solidified, I was granted ownership of you. You must accept this reality and embrace it. That is the only choice you have._"

It was a miracle when the pain finally and abruptly subsided. Relief washed over you but the sensation of burning still tingled. Your fingers dug into the bed sheets and you let out a tiny whimper. Your body trembled as the shock of the experience clung to you. Heaving breaths came from your shape and you curled up, wanting nothing more than to hide. Tears were poised on your eyelids but you defiantly tried to hold them back the best you could. Despite this tumult, you still hated him and wanted to resist him.

"_I-I have nothing to give!_" you asserted. "_You know this is true! I am no descendant of royal blood! I am no warrior, no sorcerer, no wise man! I am only…me. I am nothing!_"

"_You are but you aren't,_" he corrected you. "_True, you are simply a commoner, only dirt beneath a lord's boot. Yet you share her face. You bear her uncanny likeness and it has resounded in my worthiest servant. You caused a resurgence in him and reawakened things in his soul I had long suppressed. It is rather annoying but at the same time, I am heartily amused._"

"_I do not know what you seek of me. You know I can do nothing to topple you, Dark Lord._"

"_Enough of your self-pitying and blubbering, woman. Don't you know it's unbecoming of the bride of the Witch-king?_" He paused for an instant. "_You see, I dislike many things but there are few things I absolutely and unequivocally abhor. One of these are Elves. But there is something I hate just as much if not even more than those filthy Firstborns._"

Slowly but surely, you could feel more of your resolve return. It took a fair amount of struggling but you managed to sit up on the bed. Your head hung low and you still inhaled and exhaled heavily. The image of the flaming orb had left your mind's eye but you still felt as if you were scorched.

"_And what is it you hate the most?_" you wondered, having a precognition of what it was.

"_Men,_" he answered.

The way he said it was so toxic and hateful. For a moment, you felt chilled to your core but the burning feeling quickly regained its throne.

"_Men are unforgivably weak,_" the evil Maia stressed. "_Your kind is fickle, malleable, petty, greedy and lowly. And yet, you and your repulsive ilk continue to survive and be a thorn in my side. However… Men also have their particular uses. They are so easy to corrupt and trick. They are so fearful and materialistic. They are far too easy to enslave. Why do you think I have my Nazgûl? Why do you think the Easterlings, the Haradrim and other tribes serve me? They are ripe for the picking and too tempting to exploit._"

He appalled you. For a moment, you nearly forgot about the excruciating instance he put you through as your fury was about to burst forth like a breached dam. In your eyes, he was nothing more than a brute who delighted in torturing and maiming those he could torment. Indeed, he was crafty and intelligent enough to fool the Elves into crafting the infamous nine rings for mortal Men but beneath it all, to you, he was malice incarnate. He was unforgiveable.

Earlier, you might've felt fearful that he hated your kind so strongly. But now, you only experienced pride.

"_So…_" you bitterly remarked. "_Why do you hate me? Is there another reason why aside from me being of the race of Men?_" A snide smile spread across your face. You wanted him to get as little satisfaction out of harassing you as possible. "_Is it because I stole your trusted servant from you? Perhaps you aren't so different from my kind at all._"

Then his voice became impossibly loud, belying his anger. Black Speech uttered from him and you couldn't understand what I meant but you were certain he wasn't complimenting you.

"_You insufferable, filthy wench!_" he howled. "_I will teach you your place and your worth!_"

You were given no time to gloat or feel accomplished as the pain swiftly returned. You fell back onto the bed again, clutching your head in your hands, feeling as if your skull was about to split in half. The screaming that came from you was so loud that it pained your throat. At any moment, you thought your whole body was about to turn into a pile of embers.

The previously gently dancing flames in the fireplace grew larger and threatened to lick at anything that was too close to its searing maw. The fire turned more luminous as well and it became hotter in the stony chambers. It began to shift to a deeper red and orange color and if one could look closely into the inferno, they could see something like a fiery eye peering back at them.

Though you hardly noticed it, there was an incessant, violent banging on the door to your quarters. Mixed in with your screams was the grating, terrible screech of a Wraith. The door was rattling in place and wouldn't budge as he tried to pry it open.

"_He comes for his queen!_" Sauron jeered. "_What loyalty, what bravery, what virtue!_"

He kept on administering the punishment, only prolonging your suffering. In the midst of this terrible agony, you began to fall into despair. You feared that he would not cease until you had succumbed to shock. Sauron would delight in your tribulation and continue to torment you until you had either perished or he had grown bored with the activity.

"Help me!" you screamed out.

You knew it would most likely do you no good but it was instincts that controlled you more than anything else currently. If you were being tortured by Sauron and your mind was being assailed by his might and influence, you knew you had little to no hope left. The chances of survival were becoming increasingly dismal with each second that went by.

You could feel him reach into your mind, ready to pillage it and defile that which you held dear to you. Though he was mighty and fell, you tried to resist him. You tried to bar him from your recollections, wanting to keep the memories of your beloved deceased unsullied and free from his touch. However, your will was paltry and feeble in comparison to his all-consuming hatred and force. The power of a low born mortal was nothing against the most powerful of the Maiar.

"_I have broken the wills of legends,_" he whispered balefully. "_I have shamed and trodden upon the spirits of many a valiant and strong Men. Your beloved is one of those fools. Who are you to resist and impede me? If a son of Numenor cannot survive me, what can you possibly do?_"

Your back arched and you screamed at the top of your lungs. Desperation clung to you and in vain, you still tried to banish him. Yet Sauron was undeterred and he persisted. You could only cry out in dismay and horror as he delved into the happy and sacred memories.

Your emerald fields and forests were set ablaze. Peaceful, cool streams had become snaking rivers of molten magma. Your home's hearth became the vessel for the Dark Lord's cruel Eye. The flowers in the garden had rotted and crumbled into dust. The faces of your doomed kin had decayed and became bare, their features vanished and unrecognizable.

Nothing could be hidden from him. All was laid bare before Sauron.

"_Welcome to my servitude, Morgul lady,_" he sneered. "_Now that you are the Witch-king's bride, I will never let you go._"

The sound of wood exploding and splintering violently rang through the air, temporarily drowning out your caterwauls. You could finally feel your other half's presence. With his approach, he bore wrath in one hand and a sword in his other. He had come and dared to intercede.

"_We will have to converse another time, my dear,_" the Dark Lord remarked.

After he said those words, your world was cast into darkness and you felt nothing.

(…)

Out of the black mist that you had been plunged into, you heard something. It was muffled and unintelligible but you were certain someone was speaking. The voice was soft but deep at the same time.

As you stirred and tried to listen in more to try to make sense of what was going on, the memories abruptly flooded back. Phantom pains and sensations seized your body and the mental image of that burning, accursed Eye haunted you. He had at last confronted you and he was more than ready to break you and put you in your place. Sauron had inflicted great agony upon you…

Your bruised and battered being had jolted you to full alertness and you nearly sprang out of your bed. In your mind, this ordeal was about to continue and you sought to flee and try to escape your fiendish, sadistic master. Panic had seized you and despite your weariness, you were filled with the primal desire to run and run until you had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

You didn't even make it out of the bed as you felt a cold hand clamp on your arm. You screamed and flailed about, trying to free yourself. Everything was an enemy and everything wanted to hurt you in your mortified mind. But you would not stand for it.

"Let me go!" you half begged and half cried.

The black, robed shape that held onto your arm firmly but gently eased you back onto the bed. His strength clearly outclassed yours and he overpowered you almost instantly. You were blinded by your fear and memories and you still struggled and fought back with all your might. You could not bear another moment of this.

"At ease!" the now familiar voice coerced you. "At ease! You are safe."

As his voice fully registered, you finally noticed his whole countenance. The kingly helmet on his head, his tattered robes and even the shape and design on his armor jarred you from your waking nightmare. You looked into the hood and saw nothing but more than anything else, it calmed you. You sensed him and you knew it was indeed him.

Your chest heaved and your widened eyes leaked tears. His unseen eyes peered back at you and you could feel his fingers gingerly stroke your arm while he still held on to you. Two years ago, this would've been a horrific sight but now, he was your refuge. He was your husband.

Your arms were thrown around his shape and a wracking sob made your body shudder. You buried your face into his black garments, relieved that he was with you and Sauron was absent.

He said nothing as his arms came around you in return. The Witch-king held you to him, silently promising you that he wouldn't let go. His touch was cold but it was soothing and it chased away the lingering burning you still felt in your skin. He didn't speak as he held you closely, allowing you to weep and release your torrid emotions.

"Please, stay with me," you entreated. "Don't let me go. Keep me with you like this…"

"I shall," he replied.

The Wraith lord stroked the back of your head sweetly, wanting to soothe you further. He dipped his head slightly and pressed a kiss to your forehead. The hiss that came from him was soft and almost silent.

Outwardly, he was calm, accommodating and quiet. Although on the inside, you could feel the pure rage burning deep within. He was seething with hatred and his corrupted heart demanded justice. All too well, you could sense that he was furious with what had happened. That bond revealed everything.

"Do you know how repulsed I am?" he questioned. "Do you know how sickened I am that I cannot even protect my own wife from him? Do you know how infuriating it is?" Despite his ire, he still held you tenderly to him. He exercised great restraint, wanting to comfort you and make you feel secure. "I knew I was powerless but I still yearned to confront him. I couldn't let him harm you anymore. No longer could I listen to your screams and feel the agony that flowed from you… I suspected he would turn on me and afflict me but as soon as I entered, he released you."

Vaguely, you did recall that. He must've broken into the room and strode in to face the Dark Lord.

"But what good am I?" he pondered out loud. "I blindly barged in, knowing I couldn't match him and yet I did. I didn't think, I only reacted… I know, it sounds foolish."

"The fact that you did it is telling enough," you said, giving him a small, weakened smile.

He could not comment further. The Nazgûl only pulled you closer to his shape and ran his armored fingers through your hair.

The Witch-king kept quiet, only seeking to soothe and placate. Despite the coldness of his shape, it was a chilled retreat and he would continue to hold you. He would banish the heat of his master from your aching flesh.

Despite his coolness, a fire burned deep within him. As much as he tried to bury it deeply and keep it from becoming too noticeable, he knew it would only last so long. He knew exactly why his master had sought to introduce himself to you at long last.

It was all a twisted punishment. It was because it was within his power.

"_There is no need for this,_" he mentally called out to his master. "_She can do nothing. She poses no threat to you, lord. Do not afflict her, focus on me in her stead. I am far more accustomed to such treatment. She will die and I cannot._"

"_Fool, do you not understand?_" Sauron replied to his servant. "_Because you love her, I will use it against you. I have only found another way to prolong your suffering._"


End file.
